Sova Vanhala
Sova Vanhala is the Charcoal Oneiro Ranger. Character History Sova grew up in Castle Dirge, Gothnia, moving to Normlock and enrolling in Oneiro Academy. Lurking in the Withering Wood on the first night, he was found by Angelica, and joined her in her search for her brother Errol. Finding him, Roland and Malory, they all decided to run away to Down Town, but were caught by morpheus Clint and brought to detention. Thanks to not sleeping all night, Sova and the others were not sucked into Skepsi with everyone else connected to Oneiro, and he was turned into the Charcoal Ranger. After the first battle with Nyxus and the Mara, Sova lingered by the severely injured Angelica's bedside, promising that nothing like this would happen to her again. As she recovered, he visited her, and a conversation about Gothnia led to him reading to her. She fell asleep, and when he slipped out, he met Clint with an assignment for Angelica. Wanting to protect her, Sova took the case himself. Always A Catch After a fruitless search through the library for information on Nyxus, Sova investigated the case, several Nightmare reports in the area of a warehouse fire. The police already investigating brushed him off and mocked his Gothnian clothes. Accidentally walking into a sign, Sova discovered a few clues (a bullet, a license plate) that led him to suspect there was more to the fire than a freak accident. On his way back to Oneiro Academy to check out the clues, Sova discovered a completely empty guard booth and diner, and realized he'd found his Nightmare. Following suspicious noises and marks to a factory, Sova discovered several piles of unconscious, but apparently unhurt, people. He was attacked by a purple Mara, and then came face-to-face with the Catch. He ended up fighting through the factory, along conveyer belts and up to the roof. Knocking it off, he smashed bodily through its head, destroying it. He limped back to the Academy. The next morning night, he went to the home of Mervis Versetti, whose license plate he'd found, and found out about the strange hitchiker the man had picked up. In Mervis's car, he found a shred of envelope with "Shriek" on one side and and the address of one Talullah Garland on the other. Later, in the Withering Woods, Sova tried to ignore his feelings for Angelica and focus on the task, but was distracted by Glenda's saxophone playing. They talked, and when she revealed that she was still upset by the fight with Nyxus, he comforted her. Then Dr. Vink called, and informed Sova that the Nightmare he'd destroyed was only the offspring of the real monster. Sova continued to investigate, going to the Garland home and discovering the badly burned Eddie (the hitchiker and Somnus). Returning to Oneiro Academy, he and Angelica tried to brainstorm information on the Catch. They eventually came up with the possibility that the Catch fed on oil or gas, human sweat, or even both. Thanks to Malory turning on the radio, the two found a news broadcast that alerted them to the monster's likely next target: a train. Full of oil, packed with people, and fast, since it was a speed Nightmare and thus loved outrunning things. Then Angelica fainted, to Sova's alarm. As Clint and Dr. Vink explained, they had miscalculated Angelica's recovery time by about a week. By taking the case instead, Sova might well have saved her from fainting at a bad moment. When pressed, Dr. Vink confessed that she also had bone chips in the muscle and skin tissue of her neck, which they were unable to surgically remove. She'd be able to function relatively normally, but be in severe pain from time to time, and they were a bit worried that she might become addicted to painkillers. They asked Sova to break the news to her, which he promised to do. Sova attempted to get help from his fellow Rangers, but only Glenda was willing. He took the train while she waited at a construction site. Sure enough, the Nightmare appeared and chased the train. Sova attempted to evacuate the train, but the civilians panicked and were all taken by the Catch. Finding out that the train tracks forked, with one set of rails going off an oceanside cliff, Sova told Glenda to switch the tracks to the cliff. He made his way to the engine, taking control of the train despite the Catch's continued attacks. As they reached the cliff, Sova jumped out of the train, falling onto the cliff and rolling into the water. He got out, but was chased by the Catch and forced to morph despite his broken arm. Destroying it, Sova was flung back into the ocean, washing ashore as Angelica came looking for him. He began to explain her situation to her. Some time later, Sova apparently knew that Angelica was going to the mall, but it wasn't until Malory asked after her that he realized just how long she'd been gone. He decided to head out and find her, also getting pizza on Roland's request. However, as he opened the door he was attacked by a Nightmare connected to the fog. Errol was able to stop it from taking him, and he joined in the efforts to board up the Academy. He brooded, trying without success to keep his mind off Angelica. He and Roland, of all people, got to talking about it, and he explained about her medical issues. He felt guilty, wishing he could have done something to prevent it, and noticed that Roland seemed to have experience with that problem. He asked, but Roland said he just dealt with it by waiting it out. The fog began to lift at last, and Sova morphed, certain that Angelica was at the center of the chaos. Roland tried to stop him, but Sova insisted that he just knew Angelica was there and headed out. He found her in the Withering Woods, crying, and tried to comfort her without success. That was when Nyxus appeared. Personality Sova is quiet, intelligent, bookish and lonely in not-very-friendly Normlock, wanting someone to love right from the beginning. He has become very protective of Angelica, but struggles with cultural differences. His upbringing is probably responsible for his formal speech and unashamed knowledge of basic chores like cooking or sewing. Arsenal *Badge *Radio Communicator *OR8 "Sweeper" *Oneiro Knife Appearance Sova has ghastly white skin and black hair with a streak of grey, permanent black lines around his eyes and black lips, like most Gothnians. Category:Oneiro Category:Male